R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Civility: formal politeness and courtesy in behavior and speech.

Aka - Respect.

We all know the song.

But what else can we take away from being more civil to one another?

The fact of the matter is that civility, in some ways, can be broken down into many (if not all) of the previous months' programming topics. Sustainability (whether environmental or personal), Diversity, and Relationships are all aspects of life that are, truly, affected by our respect for ourselves, for each other, and for our environment.

When we look at the world around us, greed and selfishness pervade the air. How can we overcome this? By thinking of others before ourselves. There are infinite possibilities. Each day we are inundated with opportunities to put someone else first. Unfortunately, the majority of these chances are probably manipulated to our own gain. So pick a day. Any day. And don't think about yourself. Put yourself LAST. Take care of other needs before your own. If everyone did that, we'd never even have to worry about ourselves. 

"Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?"
Confucius

"If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die."
Maya Angelou

"Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect.” 
― William P. Young, The Shack

It often feels as though the world around us is crumbling down. Disasters strike. Cruelty avails. Injustice breeds. But I posit that with the appropriate view of who we are and of who are those are around us, these things could cease to exist.

Find someone. Respect them. Love them. Be civil.

THE YEAR IS COMING TO AN END! (In the non-Mayan way)

The Sound of Diversity!

It may seem silly, but music can tell you SO much about a culture. I spend last spring in Chile, South America and one of the most interesting conversations I had with my host mom had to do with music. We were sitting at the dinner table and she had the radio on softly in the background. It was set to a pop station. What was playing? "You Are the Only Exception" by Paramore. Yeah, the song was popular. But in Chile? Really? Where was all the Hispanic music? All the American pop music was dominating their radio waves and controlling their TV programs.

"Do you understand anything they're saying in the song?" I asked.
"Not a word," she responded. "It's just fun!"

Then I got it. Americans lack exposure. The rest of the world is consuming our entertainment because we're the ones who put so much into it. And don't say it's because our entertainment is better. Most of it is terrible. So, in an effort to expose myself to more cultures, I have gotten into the habit of perusing the Internets for top songs in other cultures. And I've found some really good ones! Did you know that "Glad You Came" by The Wanted was popular in Ireland long before it came to the states? Or that "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye was number one in New Zealand before we heard it on the radio here?

Below are some current number ones that you should definitely check out. You never know when you may find a gem!

"Somebody That I Used to Know" - Gotye (#1 US, and on at LEAST 5 other charts)

"She Doesn't Mind" - Sean Paul (#1 UK)

"Euphoria" - Loreen (#1 Sweeden)

"Ai se eu te pego" - Michel Teló (#1 Germany, #1 France, #2 Spain, and many others)

"La notte" - Arisa (#1 Italy)

"Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen (#1 Ireland)

"Yo te esperaré" - Cali y el Dande (#1 Spain)

Enjoy! Try something new! Don't worry about whether or not you will understand the words. That's not the point! There is so much more in this world than American music and English words.

The Ability to Endure

One source defined sustainability as the ability to endure. I rather like this definition because it is a lot easier to conceptualize than the overused term we hear every 3.5 seconds here on Furman's campus (see graphic).

But in all seriousness, sustainability is so much more than reducing, reusing, and recycling. While it is undeniably important that we are stewards with our planet and resources, I posit that by taking better care of ourselves, we can inherently take better care of our environment. 

Without even going into the expensive-devouring blackhole that is the meat industry (I'm not a vegetarian, but I at least understand where my food comes from - a highly recommended bit of knowledge), there are a number of basic health practices that could keep the nation (a.k.a. the people, a.k.a. YOU) from spending BILLIONS of dollars each year. 

If any of the following facts jump out at you, click them to read the full articles. 

Did you know that the costs of an average heart attack can be up to $760,000 (per person!)? 

What about Cancer? It is estimated that it can cost more than $260,000,000,000 a year (collectively).

And obesity can lead to annual medical costs of more than $140,000,000,000 nationwide.

Did you know that the United States pays more money into healthcare than any other country? And we don't even have the healthiest statistics! 

While I've obviously focused on the fiscal advantages to taking care of your body, the environmental benefits are innumerable as well. Some of the more obvious detriments are those of bottle and can usage when we can drink tap water (a luxury that other cultures would fall to their knees and praise God for while we think it's gross or weird), purchasing foods that have to be built rather than harvested, eating meats that are fed foods that have to be built rather than harvested, and just eating foods that cause us to experience the same health issues as mentioned above. 

You can say all you want about the "hippies" and "treehuggers" that go crazy with environmental sustainability. You can claim that you'll be dead before the world turns into the movie Wall-E and therefore you don't care about the environment. But one thing that every single human on this earth has in common is their body. It's time we start acting like life is worth living and living well.

Park Responsibly!

This applies to mopeds as well.

Welcome back!

So, we've nearly finished our first week of school (and unfortunately there has been no sign of snow).
I hope everyone has settled in and things have been running smoothly!

By now, I hope you've all received my email and feel that I will be more easily accessible this semester. I learned a lot from last term and am excited to serve you all the best that I can!

Please let me know of any issues, concerns, or questions, and I will try to respond to them as quickly as possible!

Also, don't forget to come by and SIGN THE ROSTER!

In the mean time, enjoy these two videos!

This one is awesome.

This one is hilarious.

(Skip ahead ~1 minute.)

See you all soon!
Philip

eHow to make BFFLs

Do you struggle making friends? 

That's weird. 

Ok, not really. We actually live in a culture where "intimacy is dying." How often do we walk through the halls of an academic building, down one of the many uselessly-placed sidewalks on campus, or take a lap around the lake and see someone we know? It's a relatively small campus, so it definitely happens a lot. Next question: Of these people we see, how many of them do we really know? Do we just say "hi" to them or do we stop and ask them how they are doing. 

November is the month of Meaningful Interpersonal Relationships. Let's use wikipedia to understand what an interpersonal relationship means. 

"An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. "

Ok... that was an interpersonal relationship. When we add MEANINGFUL to this phrase, we get an entirely new concept - a relationship in which a true understanding and caring is applied. So, take a few tips from my friend, here, and next time you see that person walking down the hallway, take a moment to ask them how they are. It could be exactly what they need!